The UK telephone network was originally designed and optimised for the delivery of voice services to our homes. That requirement was modified in the 1990s with a desire to connect PCs to the Internet and today, the demand is for super fast broadband to support our ever increasing thirst for multimedia and real time web services. The access network has therefore evolved from providing analogue voice to high bandwidth digital services. Yet, the wires connecting our homes are in the main still copper twisted pair.

This lecture will examine how the domestic access network has changed over the years and how the technical challenges of today are now being met with fibre to the cabinet and fibre to the home solutions...